GOD CLEANSES HIS PROPHETS - C:5th Sun in OrdTime

First Reading: Isa 6:1-8 (6 Feb 2022)

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’” (Isa 6:8).

The first reading is renowned as the call of the prophet Isaiah, when the Lord directly talked to him. This incident occurred in the temple of Jerusalem in a vision of “the Lord sitting on the throne” (v. 1). The setting here was so breathtaking since there was the presence of the Seraphs having “six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew” (v. 2).

Probably, they were God’s heavenly angels as “one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (v. 3).

This doxology suggests that this event was transpiring in the so-called Holy of Holies, which is the most sacred part of the temple where presumably the ark of the covenant, Aaron’s staff, and a portion of the manna were stored. This concept is expressed in the Hebrew formula qōdeš haqqŏdāšîm. The term qōdeš means “holy, commanding respect, awesome” (cf. HALOT). In Hebrew grammar, an adjective that is immediately followed by the same word in the plural is the norm of forming the superlative. A similar pattern is seen in expressions like “servant of servants” (Gn 9:25), “Sabbath of sabbaths” (Exo 31:15), “God of gods” (Deut 10:17), “Vanity of vanities” (Eccl 1:2), “Song of songs” (Songs 1:1), and “king of kings” (Ezra 7:12), which could be alternately translated as “most humble servant,” “greatest Sabbath,” “Almighty God,” “most vain action,” “most beautiful song,” “most powerful king,” respectively.

Thus, while “Holy of Holies” is the usual translation of qōdeš haqqŏdāšîm, the sense that it really implies is “the holiest place of all”. For this reason, it technically refers to the holiest part of the temple, which is theologically perceived as the very place of contact between God and man, where they directly communicate to each other. Accordingly, Solomon built inside the temple an inner chamber that is described as “the most holy place ... to set there the ark of the covenant of the Lord.” (1 Kgs 6:16, 19). Solomon also lavished this site with prized cedar wood (v. 15) and pure gold (vv. 20-22) and placed “two cherubim of olivewood ... [whose] wings were spread out so that a wing of one was touching the one wall, and a wing of the other cherub was touching the other wall” (vv. 23, 27).

This description matches the later vision of Isaiah that was mentioned above (Isa 6:2), hinting at the utmost sanctity of the place, the event, and the mission the prophet was facing in his so-called divine call from the Lord.

Under normal circumstances, it was only the high priest who was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year at the celebration of the Yom Kippur (i.e., the Day of Atonement). On this day, the high priest sprinkles it with sacrificed animals and offers incense before the Lord to intercede for the forgiveness of the people’s sins. This act of cleansing connects Isaiah’s call wherein he was as well cleansed by God. Initially in this event, Isaiah told the Lord, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isa 6:5), indicating that he felt unworthy of God’s call given his self-acknowledged sinful nature.

However, God through a seraph touched and purified his mouth, saying, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out” (v. 7), signaling that God already forgave his sins and gave him the necessary grace to proceed with his new mission of being a prophet to God’s chosen people.

Nobody is worthy of being God’s mouthpiece, given each one’s sinfulness and weaknesses. But when God calls someone, he forgets his/her past and assures him/her that God is perpetually present in the performance of the mission. Indeed, God sustains whom he ordains.

- Rex Fortes, CM